Fished: 5:30am till 3:00pm
Wind: E 5-15
Clarity: 2'
Temp: West side & backwater 61.8 East 58.5
Best day ever & worst nightmare 
Caught 6, 2-48"+++ (they were Pigs) 42",2-34"-36" & 32". Did not put one of these in the net, they all got to within 10'-15' of the boat and spit lures back at me like I was a dartboard. [smilie=brickwall.gif]
Hell yes!!! Way to get those fish to eat! You know how to work that bait, that's for sure. Great job on the action. Obviously, it doesn't sound like they were totally inhaling the bait. That's the kind of action I had last weekend before I trolled but I just couldn't trigger those fish. Were they lazy? I ask because the one fish I had on casting (for a sec) barely had hooks in her mouth. They were acting almost like they were just trying to shoo the bait away from the area. Hey man, there is definately an art form to working that thing and you've got it. Next time they'll be hungry after bumping uglies for so long and your bait will get smashed!!!
I feel so stupid, this will haunt me for a long time. You guy's who fish Hudson, if you go thru the channel and keep going back to the very back on the left side. There is a wood duck house and just beyond that is a downed tree. This is where I encountered the 2 big fish. I don't know if this was the same fish twice (half hour apart) or if it was 2 different fish. Your ticking weeds every second and kind of lull your self to sleep, this little open area is about the size of a living room, these 2 big fish were first and set the tone for the rest of the day. I caught 5 bass 10" to 17" and they hit harder than any of the muskies. Didn't get much of a hookset in any of the muskies. After the first 2, I was praying that 3 times would be the charm, little did I know and six times your a idiot!!
Yeah, that's what I figured. My belief is that these fish really have no intention in eating at the moment. My observation was that these were spawning fish. Out of the two fish we caught trolling, one was a male that was kinda beat up and the other was a female that appeared not to have entered that mode as of yet. I think the male had already gone through the phase and the female had not yet entered it. I also base those thoughts on the areas of the lake they were caught. But wait, I'm just a dummy when it comes to these stupid fish! [smilie=bangtard.gif]
Steve, I know it's a heartbreaker for you! That has got to sting bigtime but I'm telling ya that nobody, absolutely nobody has days like that on Hudson. You need to give yourself much more credit! You got 6 fish to eat in one day on HUDSON!! I've put some time in on this as you know and shake my head eveytime I pull the boat out convincing myself I've got to be the dumbest Muskie angler on the planet! I fished Hudson on Tuesday and hooked a really nice fish 41-42", she hit a suick once, missed, two pops, she hit it again, missed, two more pops, hit it for a third time, got hooks in her and after a couple leaps/headshakes, gone. That is what I call an excellent day on Hudson for me! Most times I never even see a fish out there. Granted most of my time is spent on LSC come June but I have fished Hudson the month of May for the last 4 years and can't count 6 fish total in my boat. It's really an amazing feat you accomplished today!
Keep your head up and go back there soon as you can and get one in the net. I feel for ya buddy, I really do! You deserve one of those 50"+ers in there and I feel its gonna happen for you this season! Go get'em Steve!!
Steve: I'm getting you this for your birthday:
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[smilie=brickwall.gif] [smilie=brickwall.gif] Wow !! That is bummer city. What is the water clarity like right now? Michelle and I are thinking about coming down and hitting it for a day.
Question, were you fishing small cranes? It helps to up size the hooks on the little ones. But Man . I feel your pain. I fished all day yesterday and moved 5 but could not get one to actually eat. Mike
"Steve S" said:
Mike, clarity is about 2'. I was using a 205 and I don't think I changed the hooks on that one. The wind was pouring in out of the East and you couldn't see the weed line. Next time I'm going to try a spinner bait or weedless spoon.
You had the right bait Steve, One size bigger hook makes all the difference . All my cranes are up sized just a little. 205 and 206 cranes have always been a staple of mine there. However we put 7 fish in the boat in 4 hours on Hudson in 2002 trolling Lokes in frog patterns. The biggest was a 46. We boated 80 fish there that year and all but half a dozen were caught on Lokes. Our last adventure there was a three fish day when the lake was supposedly shut down all on frog slashers.
Since then I have learned the one two punch for this lake is trolling Jointed frogs and casting Cranes with some top water mixed in. They love both prop type and Jack pot type top waters. But right now its a small bait bite with fish shallow. You were in the right place at the right time with the right lure. Dont change the lure change the hooks. I would go right back on those big ones. You have her located. Good luck. Mike
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